Equine Hoof Canker: Topical Chemotherapy Successful in European Trial

Hoof canker before treatment in the left front foot of one of the case horses in a study from the University of Vienna in Austria. Dr. Apprich documented her trial use of a chemotherapy drug in topical form to prevent recurrence of persistent canker. (© Veronika Apprich, used with permission)

Canker is the common name for what most horse owners describe as an “ugly, smelly growth” on the bottom of a horse’s foot. People describe it as looking like jellyfish, or cauliflower, and they always mention the foul odor that hits them when they lift the horse’s foot.

Canker in horses’ hooves is one of the most confounding problems in equine podiatry today. Most horse owners have never seen it, let alone smelled it. They know something is wrong, and treat it like thrush. While thrush progressively destroys the tissue of the frog, canker appears to grow out of the bottom of the foot. Treatment with thrush medication is futile.

If canker is left untreated, the horse becomes lame and the owner eventually calls the veterinarian, who may or may not have seen it before, either--but who can deduce what it probably is. Medication and topical treatments begin, but the problem may persist, and owners’ resources may not extend to surgical debridement or repeated procedures.

Many cases of canker end in frustration for owners and pain or even sometimes death for horses. Some recover, some do not. The ones who recover may do so only to experience a recurrence of the problem, causing many owners to give up.

What is canker?

Equine hoof canker (known in equine dermatitis texts as pododermatitis chronica verrucosa or chronic hypertrophic pododermatitis) begins in the caudal part of the cleft of the frog and gradually expands to the sole and wall. Equine canker is not lethal in and of itself, but because of where it occurs on the foot, and because it can be so difficult to treat and it recurs so often, it can severely compromise a horse’s soundness. The etiology of equine canker has been a topic of discussion for many years, but the specific cause is not known.

Canker and sarcoids

In many ways, canker is similar to equine sarcoids. Like canker, sarcoids also tend to be difficult to treat and often recur. Both canker and sarcoids often include a mixture of proliferative and erosive changes in the skin secondary to overgrowth and thickening of the tissues.

Due to these similarities, it has been speculated that bovine papillomavirus (BPV) might also be involved in causing canker.

Researchers have documented the existence of BPV in hoof canker in recent research, but it does not always show up in tests. A paper by Angelique Jongbloets et al at the University of Utrecht in 2005 documented a case of a horse with canker in all four feet that without any BPV present. That case was successfully treated as an autoimmune disorder with steroid medication, and successfully recovered.

Hoof canker before treatment in the right front foot of the same case horse shown above, in a study from the University of Vienna in Austria. This horse had canker in all four feet and was being treated for the condition for the fourth time when he entered the study. Thirteen months after the chemotherapy, he had a small recurrence in one foot; this was the only horse out of eight to have a recurrence. (© Veronika Apprich, used with permission)

Topical chemotherapy treatment trial

Last month, the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress in Great Britain included a clinical research abstract authored by Apprich and Licka from the Equine Clinic of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria and Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, respectively.

Apprich and Licka described using topical chemotherapy to treat canker; the same type of chemotherapy has been successfully used on equine sarcoids.

Dr. Veronika Apprich kindly shared photos and updated the study for this blog report.

The study predicted that, if successful, the treatment would both reduce the amount of time a horse would need to be hospitalized and decrease the rate of recurrence.

The initial study tracked results of treatment of three horses (two warmbloods and one draught horse). Two of the horses had canker in one front hoof; the third horse had canker in all four feet.

Laboratory tests on one of the horses identified the presence of bovine papillomavirus DNA.

The canker lesions were debrided in all the horses before treatment, but recurrence required that two of the horses underwent a second surgical debridement before chemotherapy could begin.

The horses were treated topically with a paste of cisplatin ten times, every other day, for about 20 days; the feet were kept bandaged.

In correspondence since the Congress, Apprich shared information that her team has now treated eight horses, with follow-up available on all of them. Only one horse has had a recurrence, which she explains:

“The only (and really small) recurrence (in one front hoof), which was surgically debrided in a really early stage again and by this cured until now, was seen after 13 months only in the horse with all 4 hooves affected by now; but this was also the horse which had undergone quite intensive treatment other than cisplatin chemotherapy before (at the time of cisplatin chemotherapy this horse had the 4th recurrence of canker).”

This clinical research can add to the information bank on equine canker if two ways:

1. Treating more cases this way and following up on the success of the treatment may lead to a better understanding of canker and how it may be related to equine sarcoids.
2. The recurrence of canker is a particularly discouraging aspect of the condition; any treatment that successfully decreases the rate of recurrence, or delays recurrence, will make a difference in owner attitude toward initiating treatment of the horse.

Thanks to Dr. Veronika Apprich for her assistance with details of her study. 

Please read the full abstract for details about this treatment:

Apprich, V., Licka, T.: Topical cisplatin chemotherapy in three horses affected by canker in British Equine Veterinary Association Clinical Research Proceedings, a supplement to Equine Veterinary Journal, 2012.

To learn more:
A few papers and abstracts from the Hoofcare + Lameness library:

Jongbloets AM, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, Meeus PJ, Back W.: Equine exudative canker: an (auto-)immune disease? in Tijdschr Diergeneeskd. 2005 Feb 15;130(4):106-9.

Brandt et al: Consistent detection of bovine papillomavirus in lesions, intact skin and peripheral blood mononuclear cells of horses affected by hoof cankerEquine Veterinary Journal (2), 202-209.

 Moe et al; Detection of Treponemes in Canker Lesions of Horses by 16S rRNA Clonal Sequencing Analysis in Journal of Veterinary Medical Science. 72(2): 235–239, 2010
 
Oosterlinck M et al Retrospective study on 30 horses with chronic proliferative pododermatitis (canker). Equine Veterinary Education 23 (9), 466-471
 
Also recommeneded: Canker section in Equine Clinical Medicine, Surgery and Reproduction by Munroe and Weese

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.  

Follow Hoofcare + Lameness on Twitter: @HoofcareJournal

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Canker: Seldom Seen But Important to Recognize

Canker in Hoof, originally uploaded by krissid2001.

I can almost smell this photo right through the computer screen. And it doesn't smell good.

Have you ever seen a horse with hoof canker? I've only seen it a few times, but it certainly made an impact. I know that this is becoming more of a problem in horses in the USA, and people are reporting more cases all the time.

The problem is that many owners don't recognize what it is and rarely contact a veterinarian until it is so advanced that you can see it (and smell it) from across the paddock.

Another problem is that it often strikes draft horses, like this Clydesdale or Shire, so the feathers cover it.

If you see something ugly growing on the bottom of a horse's foot, either in the cleft of the frog or the sulci or in the heel bulbs, don't just assume it is a bad case of thrush that will go away when the pasture dries up or when summer comes. Canker often requires the services of a consulting vet or farrier and horses are sometimes put down because of it. Medications and soaking and diligent cleaning are all on the list of treatments.

Thanks to Krissid2001 for allowing me to blog this photo for you all.

What's Wrong with This Foot?

by Fran Jurga | 15 May 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog

Foot infections are curious things. A reader sent this in and I thought I'd share it because it seemed unusual to me. Perhaps different parts of the world have different types of foot infections; this horse lives in a very wet climate.

I know that we have only just begun to learn about immune system disorders in horses and how they may affect the feet. There's new information coming...but there is also much to be gleaned by going back and reading the old books.

It is always said of infections like canker that it affects one horse in 100 and then there is always the story that makes you scratch your head.

The city of Cleveland is said to have had an outbreak of canker in the winter of 1894 that practically shut down public transportation because so many streetcar horses were lame; they blamed it on the salt mixture that was used to melt the snow and ice off the tracks. The city switched to sand the next year and never had a mass lameness problem again.

Hoofcare & Lameness #77 had a special section on foot infections--deep sulcus thrush, canker, pemphigus, insect bites, pastern dermatitis, vasculitis, lymphedema and fungal-type infections of the hoof wall. We're now working with Dr. Knottenbelt at the University of Liverpool on an update of his work on some immune disorders that affect the foot and pastern and hope to have some of his brilliant work to share with you soon.

But in the meantime, please tell me--and other blog readers--more about this foot.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. You only need to ask. Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.

The Copper Horseshoe Revival: Why modern farriery's quest for healthier hooves passes through a forgotten footnote from industrial history

      This story was sponsored by Stromsholm Farriers Supplies, UK.

Copper: Why is the warm, soft red metal suddenly showing up on horses’ hooves? First it was copper sulphate compounds added to hoof packing and even hoof wall adhesive. For years, pads have been fixed to shoes with copper rivets. During the past few years, farriers have experimented with new copper-shielded nails to improve hoof wall health. Copper-alloy horseshoes have been patented in Germany and South America.

Copper is suddenly part of the conversation.

It sounds like something new, but long ago copper was spelled out in a critical footnote in farrier materials history as well as in industrial safety. Copper is still the same metal but the newest uses of it are rewriting the script, putting the metal to use for reasons never dreamed of in the past. Here, we'll look at the past and present of copper in the hoofcare world, and leave it to all of you to decide whether it has a future or not.

Equine Lameness: British Cavalry Horses Suffer Common Minor Hoof and Leg Problems Similar to Recreational Horses

British cavalry horses are large Irish-crossbred types and generally are selected because they have big enough feet, acceptable conformation and good bone. Their lameness problems tend to be less dramatic than you might think, and more in line with recreational horses than sport horses.

Clinic at Oakencroft 6th Annual Farrier/Podiatry Symposium with Rood and Riddle's Scott Morrison DVM Announced for October 14-15, 2011 in New York

Who: Farriers and veterinarians

What: 6th Annual Farrier/Podiatry Symposium

When: October 14-15, 2011 (Friday and Saturday)

Where: South Bethlehem/Selkirk, New York (near Albany)

Presented by The Clinic at Oakencroft / Greene County Horseshoe Supply

A Hoofcare + Lameness Annually Recommended Event

 The Conference:                                                                                                                                    

The Clinic at Oakencroft’s Farrier/Podiatry Symposium is a casual and friendly event in a beautiful location in rural New York near the Massachusetts and Connecticut borders. The Clinic hosts regular meetings with local farriers and they feel right at home there—you will, too.

The format of the conference is presentations, discussions, and occasional interruptions for great food. There are hotels nearby. Good directions are a must if you don't know your way around the area. If you are coming from far away, plan to arrive early or stay late. The clinic is in a beautiful area, and the fall foliage should be in full color around the time of the conference.

Full conference, hotel and registration information can be downloaded at this link:

http://www.oakencroft.org/Articles/6th_Annual_Podiatry.Farrier_announcement.pdf
Here's a rough schedule of what goes on and when:

Note: You may register by regular mail, by email to equineclinic@oakencroft.org, on line at www.oakencroft.org or by calling The Equine Clinic at OakenCroft at 518 767 2906. The Clinic is requesting that everyone register by October 1 in order to make sufficient plans for the right number of people.

 The Speaker:                                                                                                                                        

Scott Morrison is a familiar name in the world of equine podiatry. His full biography can be read on the conference link. In a nutshell, Scott Morrison is a partner in the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, where he launched the hospital's podiatry center in 1999. The center has now morphed into an internationally-recognized referral facility for all breeds and types of horses with every imaginable foot disorder, and of every age, from foals to aged horses with Cushings disease.

Dr. Morrison works with a staff of hoof-specialist veterinarians, farriers, and technicians, and he travels all over the world to consult on cases and speak at conferences. He personally consults to the racing and training program of Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien. He recently has been experimenting with the use of umbilical stem cells in severe laminitis cases, and has developed several horseshoe designs that are used all over the world.

While Dr. Morrison might be working on a world-class racehorse or stallion in the morning, his afternoon case might be a foundered pony or a draft horse with canker, so he's an ideal speaker for a conference with an audience that comes from different backgrounds and works on different types of horses. He grew up in New York, as well.

In addition to lectures and PowerPoint presentations, Dr. Morrison will be available to discuss the cases that attendees arrange in advance to make part of the conference (see conference details for "panel and case discussion" submissions, which should be done in advance). The relaxed atmosphere at OakenCroft will be ideal to give Dr. Morrison a chance to talk about hoof problems with the attendees.

There aren't too many sure things in life, but I think you can be quite sure that you'll enjoy this event, this  clinic, and the people you'll meet. See you there, I hope!

Contact information:
The Equine Clinic at OakenCroft
880 Bridge Street
Ravena, NY 12143
(518) 767-2906 - office
(518) 767-3503 - fax
Web address: www.oakencroft.org
Email: equineclinic@oakencroft.org

Amazing microscopic view of the landscape of the hoof wall from coffin bone to periople from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine's Equine Hoof Laboratory, courtesy of Drs. Bowker and Lancaster. Order yours today!

 TO LEARN MORE

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.  

Follow Hoofcare + Lameness on Twitter: @HoofcareJournal

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

A Tribute to Bracy Clark: It's the 200th Anniversary of Natural Hoofcare

by Fran Jurga | 26 October 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog

What year is it?

Patrick Ryan was, according to this slip of paper, a doctor (?) of horseshoeing in Baltimore, Maryland in the late 1800s.

You might have to double-click on the image to read the fine print, but across the top of the bill head, Mr Ryan promises "Horses Shod According to the Natural Formation of the Hoof. Satisfaction Guaranteed."

There's nothing new about the new school of thought on natural hoofcare. In the 1800s, a legion of learned professors and prickly posers preached any number of plausible and implausible theories about the so-called natural function of the hoof, as they interpreted it to be at that time. Most of the theories involved employing the frog by using a thin shoe or even a three-quarter shoe that exposed the heels and base of the frog to concussion, in the belief that that would stimulate the pumping action of the frog.

Professor Bracy Clark in England was the leading proponent of truly natural hoofcare, and his writings are quite interesting and worth a read. Just the reverse of Ryan in Baltimore, he was a veterinary surgeon--in the earliest days of the profession--who left academia behind and chose to shoe horses and study the hoof for the rest of his life.

Professor Clark enjoyed a renaissance about ten years ago when Dr Hiltrud Strasser chose selections from his vast body of writings to defend some of her theories. What many people missed was that he was a highly respected veterinarian and actually has a very broad body of writing on the anatomy and function of the foot and its diseases, far beyond simply expressing displeasure with shoes. In fact, he tried tirelessly to invent horseshoes that would work in harmony with the natural function of the foot and not stifle it.

The author/historian Major-General Sir Frederick Smith writes of Bracy Clark, "No writer in the profession before or since [his] day has brought to bear such a degree of scholarship."

In fact, Bracy Clark's first writings were exactly 200 years ago, in 1809. So let's tip our caps to him today. I recently learned that a packet containing Professor Clark's 1809 manuscript sold at auction for 3,130 British pounds--that's roughly $5,000 for some very frail old farrier papers.

Bracy Clark's forge near London's Regent's Park

To quote from an article by Ian McKay in the October 2009 edition of Book Dealer:

...This little collection opened with an illustrated 1809 account of A Series of Original Experiments on the Foot of the Living Horse. On the back of the frontispiece to this main work is a tipped-in prospectus in which Clark explains that he plans to publish his discoveries from time to time but ‘…must depend upon the intelligent and opulent for support in reimbursing the expenses…’, while bound in at the end is a single explanatory leaf, titled A New Exposition of the Horses Hoof, that refer to a pasteboard model of that equine extremity.

Other tracts in this little volume included Essays… on …the Nature and Cure of the Split-Hoof, Vulgarly Termed Sand-Crack and …the Causes and Cure of Running Frush in Horses’ Feet, both of which are dated 1818, plus another of 1822 …on the Canker and Corns of Horses’ Feet.

Another of the seven items that make up the collection is the advertisement ...., in which Bracy Clark announces that he has retired from all work with horses, ‘except what relates to the feet only’, and has opened a "…forge, in the Edgeware Road, near the Paddington Turnpike, for shoeing Saddle Horses, more especially, upon a New Plan, which admits the natural expansion of his Foot, and is more durable than the common shoe."

I got out my magnifying glass and was able to read some of the tiny print in Professor Clark's ad. I could read that he added at the bottom "Shoes made and sent (for ready money) to any part of the kingdom. No rasping off the natural rind of the hoof, no frog scalping--or notching of the heels allowed. A lecture on shoeing and the nature of the foot is delivered by the inventor the first Monday or every month at 12 o'clock. Admission 5 shillings." He would teach "professional characters" how to shoe according to his method for one price, and the sons of shoeing smiths for a reduced rate.

And now the big question: who bought these precious historic manuscripts? And what will he or she do with them?



Click here for original document: Bracy Clark Expansion Shoe -

Here's Bracy Clark's treatise on his tablet expansion shoe; the images are on the last pages. You can click on "full screen" at top right of the image box to read it easily and print it. The pages may load slowly, depending on the speed of your connection. I hope you will read it and realize how articulate this man was in describing the foot and his theory of hoof expansion. Read the part where he says that this shoe is his gift to horses, and that he is not patenting it so that more horses can benefit from it. In that sense, reading this reminds me of the Steward Clog.

What would I give to go back in time and head to Regent's Park for one of his Monday lunchtime lectures? This fellow's writings are worth a read, a re-read and many good long discussions to see where and how we've changed the way we look at the hoof's function. What would he say if he showed up today?

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. You only need to ask. Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.

Clinical Farriery: New Book from German Farrier Leader

It's foaling season all over the Northern Hemisphere: these post-mortem photos are a reminder of the amazing process that creates the hoof from very soft tissue. Photos provided by Uwe Lukas.

It is a pleasure to announce the publication of a new book on farriery. Gesunde Hufe--kein Zufal! by Uwe Lukas was published recently by FN Verlag in Germany and my copy finally floated over to these shores.

The title translates to: "Hoof Recovery: No Accident" (sort of), meaning that hoof rehabilitation, the author's specialty, requires skill, experience, and a plan. I am sure someone will leave a comment with a better translation.

Uwe is the chairman of the Erster Hufbeschlagsschmiede Verband (EDHV), a.k.a. the German farriers association. His client list reads like a "who's who" of international dressage and show jumping, but his heart seems to be back at the vet clinic; he is the farrier at Tierärztliche Klinik Telgte (Telgte Equine Hospital and surgical center) and is based in Warendorf, the site of the state stud of the Westphalian breed. He also "rehabs" horses by offering long-term residential care at his forge, especially for laminitis cases.

While most Americans will be scared away by the German text, the photos in the book are compelling. The foal correction and sport horse shoeing images are among the most instructive without translation, but it is fascinating to see that the bulk of the book is therapeutic cases that are treated with the most high-tech support materials (Vettec and Luwex hoof support materials earn a big thumbs-up from Uwe) but also the most basic German-type Werkman and Kerckhaert shoes and big e-head nails.

As in the Hoof Problems book by Rob Van Nassau from Holland, this book has many detailed cases of canker, various types of "loose wall" conditions, coronitis and nasty quarter cracks. It's hard to say if those problems are more prevalent in Europe or if both authors had access to unusually severe cases.

I know this blog is read around the world, and some readers can surely read German (or live there), so please consider purchasing this book. I have a shelf of German farrier and hufpflege (hoof nurse) books, but this one seems by far the most contemporary, and breaks some of the stereotypes about traditional German farriery. Surely we are evolving to an international playing field where it will become harder and harder to discern the nationality of the farrier by looking at the shoe, just as the warmblood horses themselves are now so hard to identify by nationality.

Aluminum shoes may be the last frontier between American and European farriers. The only aluminum shoe in Uwe's book is a lovely ultra-toe specimen attributed to Dr. Jean-Marie Denoix of France.

A unique part of the book explains how to clean feet; the text goes on for quite a while about tidiness in the stable. As Uwe cleans a foot, there's an explanation of how to use bucket underneath to catch the water and keep the floor clean. All the settings for the photos are very tidy.

Uwe's book is published by FN Verlag, the national equestrian association in Germany, and may be purchased through their web site's bookshop.

Thanks to Uwe and the EHDV for all the help they give to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal.

New HoofSearch documents give busy equine professionals a one-stop lifeline to newly-published global research

The time has come: After almost two years in the incubator (and the library), a new service is finally available to all. HoofSearch is a little on the nerdy side; it is designed for those of you interested in research--and eager to keep up with it. The press release below explains all you need to know about this new project. If you are truly interested in the science side of hoofcare and lameness, I hope you will subscribe. If you decide not to, you'll still have The Hoof Blog, and I'll always be here for you.

--Fran Jurga

Hoofcare@Saratoga 2007 Event Schedule

Everybody loves Saratoga Springs, New York in August, and in the worldwide horse business in August, a lot of people pass through town. And others are looking for a reason to go! Thoroughbred racing, Standardbred racing, polo, and yearling sales are just the tip of the equine iceberg.

For the third year, Hoofcare & Lameness will be the catalyst to get people together on Tuesday nights with some educational and social activities. We've worked out a schedule that has something for everyone and invite you to join us on Lake Avenue in downtown Saratoga on Tuesdays. If you need a hotel room, we have a special "Hoofcare" rate at the Fairfield Inn in Malta, NY (one exit south); call (518) 899-6900.

(Week One is July 31 with Dr Don Walsh of the Animal Health Foundation speaking on new laminitis developments; it has its own post if you just scroll down the blog.)

WEEK 2: Tuesday August 7 at 7 p.m.: Meet Stacey Small, of Equilite and Sore No More products, to talk about leg care. Stacey has worked at the track and has a great deal of experience in the show ring. She is thinking way ahead of us about barn routines, rehab, and health-conscious ways to manage horses.

Our headliners that night will be two farriers from Kentucky, Mitch Taylor and Steve Norman, who will take a break from the yearling sales to talk about their work with the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation's Horse Welfare and Safety committee on hoofcare. In particular, they will talk about the committee's study of toe grabs on the front feet of racehorses. They'll share examples of some innovations for racehorse hoofcare and answer questions. Mitch has a terrific PowerPoint presentation with slo-mo video and great images.

Note: SPECIAL SESSION August 7 at 5 pm:

Ad hoc info session for owners, trainers, and farriers before the Yearling Sales related to the bans some states have initiated against front toe grabs. Members of the committee will be at the Parting Glass to answer questions, share research, and listen.

WEEK 3 Tuesday August 14 at 7 p.m.:

Meet some Hoofcare heroes! Anatomy expert Allie Hayes of HorseScience creates leg and hoof models for vets and farriers to study normal and abnormal anatomy and the structural integrity of the foot. Dr. Frank Gravlee, inventor of Farriers Formula, will be on hand to answer questions about nutrition and laminitis, and sign copies of his new book, "Laminitis and Founder: Prevention and Treatment", co-authored with Dr. Doug Butler.

WEEK 4 Tuesday August 21 at 7 p.m:

Bring your hoofish questions and concerns to two experts from different ends of the farrier world. Michael Wildenstein is Adjunct Associate Professor of Farrier Medicine and Surgery at Cornell University. He'll talk about foot infections and the new strange sole and wall fungus that is affecting hooves in addition to the usual thrush, canker, and white line disease. Mike is seeing it all at Cornell and is a great teacher.

Our second speaker is someone who has seen it all as well, In fact, he's probably seen it all twice. Veteran farrier Bob Skradzio from Pennsylvania is one of America's most admired farriers. He gives the perspective of common-sense solutions to problems, gleaned from more than 50 years of shoeing, and is always a big hit for his friendly, generous nature. This man has legend status, and it is well-earned.

Do you have some interesting old shoes or stable tools? Bring them on the 21st, let's keep history alive!

Note: SPECIAL SESSION August 21 afternoon demo program in the shoeing shop at nearby Skidmore College Equestrian Center with Mike and Bob, hosted by Jim Santore.

HEARTFELT THANK YOUs: These events could not take place without the support of groups like the Animal Health Foundation and the Jockey Club Grayson Foundation and help from the Parting and the Saratoga Special newspaper. Life Data Labs, who helped the past two years as well, will sponsor weeks 3 and 4. Special personal thanks to key advisers Frieda Garrison and Jim Santore and Hoofcare's growing community of friends and subscribers in Saratoga! If you enjoy these events, credit goes to those organizations and individuals.

Please join us if you possibly can. There is no charge to attend these events and I would love to see you. Bring a friend.

Recent Publications: New Research on Hoofcare and Lameness

Did your New Year's Resolutions include a pledge to keep up with new research and developments in the research side of things? That could be a full time job. It could also be pretty costly, unless you have access to a library with the right journal subscriptions.

Palm Beach Equine Clinic Welcomes Dr. Stephen O’Grady for Consultation Services this Winter

Palm Beach Equine Clinic (PBEC) in Wellington, Florida shared the news last week that equine podiatry consultant Stephen E. O’Grady, DVM, MRCVS, will join its forces this winter.

Breeders Cup: The Agony of De Feet

by Fran Jurga | 21 October 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog

What kind of horse shoe is this?, originally uploaded by Rock and Racehorses.
Imagine the confused looks when someone spots this horse's hoof print.

The Daily Racing Form announced today that the defections are beginning; the field for next month's Breeders Cup Classic has lost a few interesting entries.

First it was the news that the fast-closing gray Macho Again would not make the trip west to Santa Anita after developing a cough while training at Churchill Downs in Kentucky.

Then it was the withdrawal of California-based Rail Trip, pulled from contention because of bruised frogs. Apparently Rail Trip sloughed his frogs after his last start at Del Mar and his feet are still tender, according to Steve Andersen of the Form.

The race is still three weeks away, so the horse's trainer must be pretty concerned about the horse losing training.

(For Breeders Cup readers: The frog is a fleshy triangle-shaped pad on the bottom of a horse's foot.)

Sloughed and bruised frogs are a common complaint from horsemen in California on the artificial tracks. The problems could be compounded by the heat of the track in summer months. It is normal for real-world horses to shed the outer layer of their frogs, but racehorses are shod and trimmed so often that their frogs are kept neatly manicured.

Horseshoers at the track have a lot of tricks to help a horse with sore frogs. This photo by our friend Sarah K Andrew was taken during Breeders Cup week at Santa Anita last year.

This horse is wearing a frog-protection plate, sometimes called a mushroom shoe. It can either be an aluminum plate that goes between the shoe and the hoof (some of them look like hockey goalie masks and are called spider plates), or it can be a shoe.

Frogs come in all shapes and sizes. This is Visionaire's frog before the 2008 Kentucky Derby. It probably didn't contact the ground. The frog shape and size of winning horses has never been documented. The width of the frog also determines how the shoe is shaped and how the heels are covered. This shoe is almost an oval; it is probably a hind foot. (Dan Burke/FPD photo)

The same type of shoe or plate is used to relieve pressure on sore heels. The horseshoer may medicate the frog and pack felt or foam rubber under it if the goal is to cushion a sore frog.

Conversely, if the frog is healthy and the goal is to relieve sore heels or a quarter crack, the horseshoer will use the plate to "engage" the frog to bear weight while trimming the heels to relieve weight on them.

This perfectly heart-shaped frog belonged to Gayego before the 2008 Kentucky Derby. Compare it to Visionaire's. Gayego is slated to run in the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Sprint. There's no statistical relevance between frog size or shape to speed or performance. Notice how much space there is between the heels of the shoe. (Dan Burke/FPD photo)

There are many reasons a frog can be sore. Infection from thrush or canker is the most common but abrasion also can cause soreness, particularly if a horse has a bulbous, protruding, or fleshy frog. Frogs can and do bleed if they are aggravated enough.

The type of shoe shown here might have been just for training and the horse was reshod with regular plates before training at speed or racing. Standardbreds will race in frog plates, though.

Since the horse spends most of the day in its stall, the trainer would pack the sore hooves with a favorite packing or wrap Animalintex poultice against the bottom of the foot. Turbo tubbing, salt water soaks and spas, foam-lined boots and changing stall bedding are some other treatments that trainers may try to get the frogs back in racing shape.

Away from the dry California climate, a frog could be sore because of excess moisture. In that case, the trainer might medicate with a hoof product containing ingredients from the formaldehyde family to wick moisture, or paint the feet with iodine.

Exercise, even walking, would be considered therapeutic, unless the horse is lame. Circulation can help feet recover and grow.

Protecting soles and frogs and preventing injury will be on the minds of trainers who ship their horses to California for the Breeders Cup. When the European and East Coast trainers see local horses sporting plates like the one in this picture, they will catch on very quickly.

Worldwide Wacky Weather: Laminitis Cases Down, Mud Fever Cases Increase in UK

It's the old good news/bad news scenario; here's a clip from a roundup of winter horse health observations for the past few months published in this week's Horse and Hound, the British weekly horse newspaper.

Peter Slater MRCVS, from Liphook Equine Hospital in the south of England comments: "The warmer weather this winter has meant less laminitis cases, but much more mud fever. I've seen some quite nasty cases."

Mud fever is directly related to the weather; the wetter it is, the worse the condition, acccording to Horse and Hound veterinary editor Karen Coumbe MRCVS, who adds that is not a single disease, but a collection of clinical signs ranging from a few scabs to cracked heels and sores, which in turn can produce infected legs.

Mud fever has a variety of causes, but can usually be blamed on bacteria infecting chaffed, waterlogged or otherwise damaged skin. Horses with white legs and pink tender skin underneath seem to be the most susceptible.

Hoofcare & Lameness published an in-depth special section on "mud fever" a few years ago, including mite infestation and pemphigus as problems that affect the lower leg; the section is available on cd-rom, or you can order the complete issue, which includes Michael Wildenstein's thesis on white line disease and articles on canker, spider bites, etc. We are doing this to make available articles that can then be printed out and distributed to clients. Email backissues@hoofcare.com to place an order. Other back issues, which have been out of print, are now available on cd-rom as well.

Evidence-Based Farriery: Plan to Attend Myhre Equine Clinic's 29th Annual Farrier/Veterinarian Conference with Dr. Andy Parks

It's that time of year: let's all drive to New Hampshire and enjoy the 29th Annual Myhre Equine Clinic Farrier/Veterinarian Conference in Rochester, New Hampshire. This article will include as many details as possible for you to make your plans.

Hosted by Dr. Grant Myhre, the big two-day event will be held later this week, October 28-29.

Do You Speak Farrier? The 2010 New Dictionary of Farrier Terms Will Help!

3 November 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog from Hoofcare.com

To order your copy, call 978 281 3222 or email books@hoofcare.com

Cost is $19 plus $4 postage in USA; $8 elsewhere.

This little slide show from author David Millwater gives a preview of the new edition of the outstanding reference, New Dictionary of Farrier Terms. We have always tried to make this book available over the years, but the book is now all grown up, with a spine, glossy cover and expanded listings.

I hope this book will become the accepted reference for defining farrier words so that authors and editors can all speak the same language. I don't always agree with Dave, but he is such a good writer and a diligent compiler of the lexicon of his profession that I don't mind losing out to him (sometimes).

Farriers will (or should) know all the terms in the book, but may be stuck sometimes to define what a London pattern anvil is or what "interdigitate" really means in the laminar bond. This book will help.

For everyone else, this book helps de-mystify the language of the back of that truck and the furthest corners of the smithy. It won't cure your horse or keep your shoes on, but it will help you sound like you might know what you're talking about. How you string the words together is up to you!

The New DFT belongs on the shelves of authors, editors, translators, veterinary hospitals, educators, lawyers, insurance companies, breeders, trainers, horseowners, merchants and, of course, libraries. Did I forget anyone?

I hope the sales from this spiffy new edition will encourage David Millwater to continue his calling as a word detective and delve more into the origins of farrier terms (one more time: why do they call it canker?) and that this project will flourish and my arguments with him never end.

Take my word for it: if we all agreed, Hoofcare's world would be a much less interesting place.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. You only need to ask.

Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in b

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Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.

Maggots Approved by FDA for Human Use

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved maggots as a medical "device" to clean out wounds, according to the Associated Press and Boston Globe.

A recent study at the University of California compared the work of maggots to the work of human surgeons. Wounds debrided by maggots removed 80% of dead tissue; surgeons removed only 48 percent.

Maggots continue to be used in horses' feet for help with osteomyelitis, canker, and abscesses.

To learn more: Hoofcare 78 "Maggot Debridement Therapy"

AAEP Convention Schedule Announced: Highlights Related to Lameness

The schedule for the 2004 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention arrived at the office yesterday. The convention will be held December 4-8 in Denver, Colorado, and of course, Hoofcare & Lameness will be there with a double booth this time in the huge trade show.

Here are a few highlights from the schedule that may interest Hoofcare & Lameness readers.

Friday 12/3 Foot Surgery wet lab with Kent Carter, Bill Moyer, and Robin Dabareiner--the Texas A&M hoof surgery team--or Advanced Ultrasound with Jean-Marie Denoix, Norm Rantanen, Ron Genovese, and others.

Saturday 12/4 1-3 pm "Veterinarian-Farrier Relations Committee" is listed; I don't know if this is an open meeting or not. Stacey and I will be there setting up the booth that day (helpers welcome!).

Sunday 12/5 10 a.m. Larry Bramlage presents the "Kester News Hour". This is always fun--a rapid-fire review of veterinary developments over the past year, with some humor thrown in.

Sunday 12/5 NOON--Bill Moyer and our farrier friend Bob Pethick will host a lunchtime "table topic" on therapeutic shoeing. Should be great! Also at the same time: Cushings Disease and Hind Limb Lameness.

Monday 12/6--get up before dawn (or just stay up) for sunrise sessions on foot lameness, gaited horse lameness, racehorse lameness, laminitis, western performance horse lameness, and a lot more by presenters such as Bill Moyer, Tracy Turner, Scott Bennett, Scott Morrison, Steve O'Grady, Jay Merriam, Rick Mitchell, Reynolds Cowles, Kent Carter, Terry Swanson, Jerry Black and many more. You must reserve in advance!

Monday 12/6 1:30 I am looking forward to a group of presentations under the heading "The Unwanted Horse"..but unfortunately at the same time are "how-to" sessions with Tracy Turner, Steve O'Grady and Kevin Keegan on saddle fitting, canker, and head/pelvis movement evaluation in lameness diagnosis, respectively. I won't miss those three, but hope to see some of the welfare presentations, too!

Tuesday 12/7 The sports medicine session starts at 8 a.m. with one of our consulting editors, Sue Dyson, presenting "Collateral Desmitis of the Distal Interphalangeal Joint in 62 Horses". This is a great topic on what I think will be a new BUZZ in our industry. (Read Jean-Marie Denoix's article "Collateral Ligaments of the Distal Interphalangeal Joint: Anatomy, Roles, and Lesions" in Hoofcare #70 for more on this subject.)

Tuesday 12/7 At the same time Sue is presenting, there will also be an imaging panel in progress, with Jean-Marie Denoix, Rick Mitchell, Kent Carter, etc.

Tuesday 12/7 Lameness Program begins at 1:30 (unfortunately overlapping with the tearing down of the trade show! Helpers welcome!) with EIGHT interesting lectures including Sue Dyson again, this time of a VERY HOT TOPIC: "Is there an association between distal phalanx angles and deep digital flexor tendon lesions"? My guess is that she will be comparing lateral radiographs showing P-3 angle with MRIs of the same foot showing tendon lesions in the navicular area. This should be worthwhile. Robin Dabareiner (navicular bursa medication results), Scott McClure (shock waver therapy for navicular disease) and lots more in that special section of the convention.

Tuesday 12/7 Yes, at the same time, there are medical presentations on Cushings syndrome and thyriod dysfunction, plus Jim Belknap on using COX-2 inhibitors in developmental stages of laminitis.

Wednesday 12/8 A terrific program on sacroiliac lameness with Sue Dyson as moderator; speakers include Cornell's Kevin Haussler, Dan Marks, Jean-Marie Denoix.

Wednesday 12/8 NOON Table topics on shock wave therapy and a great one on treating sore backs with Dan Marks and Midge Leitch.

Wednesday 12/8 1:30 pm Hooray! The Hoof! Rood & Riddle's Scott Morrison (see article in our current issue on maggot debridement therapy) and our old friend (and the only farrier on the program) Bob Pethick from New Jersey will do an afternoon program on farriery, with live horses. In the surgery program that afternoon, Robin Dabareiner will speak on heel bulb lacerations and the UK's Andy Bathe will speak about medial patellar desmotomy cases.

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Those are just some of the highlights. Also, I don't know what the AAEP's policy is about non-veterinarians attending, so if you are not a veterinarian, you may want to register in advance to avoid late fees on top of non-member rates.

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Hotels:The Marriott City Center is the HQ hotel, but the Holiday Inn is much closer to the convention center and $50 less per night. Hoofcare rooms will be at the Holiday Inn.
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At the trade show: Visit the Hoofcare & Lameness booth and learn about the exciting new "in the field" (literally, sometimes) gait analysis system from the UK "Equinalysis", plus new lameness-related or farriery products from St Croix Forge, Harmany Equine, Eponaire, Grand Meadows, and The Smart Boot.

PLUS socialize at our booth during book signing events with Joyce Harman (The Horse's Pain-Free Back and Saddle Fitting Book), Hilary Clayton (The Dynamic Horse) and Doug Butler (Principles of Horseshoeing III), to name a few.